


that old feeling

by championstunic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Back Together, M/M, Mild manga spoilers, New Year's Eve, Pining, Sawamura Daichi's Birthday, Sort Of, Underage Drinking, alcohol mention, i think, kind of, lots of fluff i promise, rated t for like two (2) curse words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22056508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/championstunic/pseuds/championstunic
Summary: Daichi hesitated. He hadn’t spoken to Suga in months, and for a moment that schism between them had been clearer than ever. However, all it took was the sound of Suga’s laugh and that look in his eyes and they immediately fell back into their old rhythm. Daichi was grateful that he and Suga could still interact like that, as if nothing had happened between them and with no hard feelings.Or: Suga asks his ex-boyfriend to pretend they're dating again (just for one night).
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 121





	that old feeling

**Author's Note:**

> this is a little one-shot i wrote for daichi's birthday + new year's!! i struggled a bit in parts, so i'm posting it a little later than i was aiming for, but i think it can be read at any time of the year :) i hope you enjoy!!

Daichi frowned at his computer screen, staring at the text without really making an effort to understand it. All he could think about was how the days were slowly but surely crawling closer to his birthday and the new year. He couldn’t help but think about how he had celebrated last year.

He didn’t like big parties and celebrations for his birthday. The day before his actual birthday, he had let the volleyball club sing to him and then he and the other third years went to his favorite restaurant. The next day, Suga had come over to his house to celebrate the new year together with his family. Daichi had fond memories of that night. 

He remembered his siblings dragging Suga to their room as soon as he walked in the door, refusing to let him go until it was time for them to go to bed. His parents had turned a blind eye as he and Suga snuck off to his room right after dinner, and he blushed thinking about him and Suga together, making out until much too late into the night. When they realized that they had missed the clock turning midnight, they laughed so hard that they cried, but they figured it was at least a good way to welcome their new year. Afterwards, Daichi had walked Suga home and kissed him goodbye, wishing they didn’t have to separate, as if they weren’t going to see each other again only a few hours later. It had helped him forget about the stress of Nationals that was looming over him. He truly couldn’t have asked for a better 18th birthday.

Now, Daichi was turning 19, and he had no idea how he wanted to spend his birthday. He’d be home for the break, so he couldn’t do anything with his university friends. Asahi was busy with his new job, and Shimizu was off at her own university. They’d probably be celebrating the new year with their families, anyway. He could swing by the volleyball club to check in on them, but they had their hands full preparing for Nationals again. Daichi supposed that there wasn’t anything wrong with having a quiet New Year’s Eve in with his family… 

Finally, he thought about Suga. Suga, who had made his birthday so perfect less than a year ago. But also Suga, who he hadn’t spoken to since he left for school. Their break-up had been mutual; they had both agreed it was for the best considering they would be going to separate universities. However, that didn’t stop Daichi from thinking about him from time to time. He could still remember the sound of his laugh, the feeling of their hands intertwined, the smell of his shampoo, the taste of his lips. The worst part, though, was how Suga’s smile managed to burn itself onto the inside of Daichi’s eyelids. Even all these months later, he saw it every time he closed his eyes. Although Daichi found his thoughts of Suga slowly decreasing over time, that sight still remained.

As soon as Daichi was about to give up on studying for the night, his phone rang. When he picked it up to see who it was, the caller ID read: “Sugawara Koushi.”

Daichi’s heart pounded. Why was he calling him so unexpectedly after all this time? And why did it happen to be right when Daichi had been thinking about him? Daichi had always joked about how it seemed like Suga could read his mind and know exactly what he was thinking. At that moment, he wondered if maybe it was true.

Daichi cleared his throat and answered hesitantly. “Uh, hello?”

“Daichi! Oh, thank God. Listen, I’m sorry this is really out of the blue and you have every right to be mad at me but I have an important favor to ask you. Please.” 

Suga spoke in a hurry, as if he thought Daichi would hang up on him any second. Daichi could hear him trying to catch his breath on the other end of the phone, and he had to admit that he was curious about what such an urgent favor could be.

“Oh… kay?” Daichi replied.

“Well, you see, my extended family is coming for a New Year's Eve dinner this year, so my mom kept asking me if I would bring anyone. Obviously, I told her no, but she kept bugging me about it. I really wanted to get her off my back, and I remembered that she had seemed so disappointed when I told her we broke up so then I may have told her that we’d actually gotten back together and that I’d bring you.”

Daichi couldn’t think of anything to say other than: “What the hell, Suga?”

“I know, I’m so sorry. I just wanted her to stop asking me and I may have panicked slightly. I can’t bring anyone from my university because, well, you know how my family is, plus you’re the first person who popped into my head. You’ll be in town, right? Can you please do this for me? Just for one night. I’ll do anything. I’ll buy you a year’s worth of ramen. I’ll get toys for your brother and sister.  _ Anything. _ ”

Daichi opened his mouth to interrupt him before Suga said something that made him pause.

“I know it’ll be your birthday, too, and spending your birthday with me is probably the last thing you want to do,” he added, slower and quieter than before. “I promise I’ll make it up to you and then we can go back to not speaking to each other again if that’s what you want.”

Daichi was taken aback. He didn’t know why, after two years of friendship and one year of dating, but for some reason he had assumed that Suga would’ve somehow forgotten his birthday. That his assumption had been so wrong stirred buried feelings deep within him. 

“Okay, I’ll do it,” Daichi finally agreed. “But I’m holding you to that ramen promise. You know I take my food very seriously.”

“Really?” Suga exclaimed, surprise and relief in his voice. “I’ll text you the details, then. Thank you so much, Dai! Really.”

Dachi tried to ignore the warm feeling he got when Suga called him by his nickname as he replied, “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you then.”

After they’d said their goodbyes and hung up, Daichi was left alone again with only his thoughts and his abandoned schoolwork. Suga had sounded so rushed and the call had gone by so quickly that he felt as if he were reeling from whiplash. He leaned back in his chair as he attempted to process the information Suga had given him. 

Mere moments ago, Daichi had been thinking about how perfect spending his birthday with Suga had been last year. Now, he suddenly had plans to do that again, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be him and Suga alone, laughing and celebrating and in love. Instead, it would be him and Suga in a room full of people, pretending for his family. They’d pretend to be in love. They’d pretend that they hadn’t cut contact with each other for more than half a year and that everything was exactly the same as it had been before. Daichi wondered if he’d fit into his former role as Suga’s boyfriend as well as he did before. Sometimes, though, he admitted that he found himself forgetting, at least for a few seconds, that they weren’t even together anymore.

Daichi took one glance at his computer screen and realized there was no way he could focus on studying after what just happened. Instead, he shut his laptop and climbed into bed for what he told himself was a much-deserved nap. Maybe he’d wake up and realize this had all been a strange dream.

\--

It wasn’t a dream. Daichi had pinched himself at least twice a day since that phone call, but there he stood, on the stoop of Suga’s parents’ house, wide awake and incredibly nervous. He took a deep breath as he raised a fist up to the door, but it swung open before he could even knock. Suddenly, he found himself face-to-face with Suga’s mom, who immediately pulled him into an embrace that was surprisingly aggressive and strong for such a small woman.

“Daichi-kun, it’s so good to see you again!” she yelled in his ear. “When Koushi told me you two had broken up, I was devastated but when he said you were back together, I was so relieved. You work well together and you make my Koushi very happy, you know.”

Daichi finally escaped her grasp and glimpsed an embarrassed-looking Suga standing at his mother’s side. “It’s good to see you, too,” he replied with a slight bow. Then he held out a small box he’d been carrying. “This is for you. Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

Suga’s mom took the box and looked at it before turning to Suga. “Look at that, he brought your favorite kind of mochi. Don’t let this one get away from you again, Koushi.”

Suga smiled at her, but Daichi thought it looked more like a grimace. However, his mother didn’t notice and instead motioned for Daichi to come inside and close the door.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” she said with a wink as she turned and walked further into the house. 

There was a moment of awkward silence as Daichi took off his shoes. He noticed that there were more shoes than usual and opened his mouth to comment on it.

“Are–” Daichi started.

“You–” Suga said at the same time.

“You go first,” Daichi told him.

“What were you gonna say?”

Daichi sighed. “I was just saying that it looks like there are other people here already.”

“Oh, yeah. My aunts and some of my cousins just got here. I think we’re only waiting for a couple more people.”

Daichi nodded, and they settled into another awkward pause. Finally, he asked, “What did you wanna ask?”

Suga laughed. “I was just surprised that you remembered my favorite kind of mochi, that’s all.”

“Huh, I didn’t choose it because of that intentionally. It was probably just a subconscious decision.”

“Mhm, okay, sure,” Suga said, a familiar mischievous glint in his eye. Daichi realized how much he missed seeing his eyes shine like that. 

“I swear,” Daichi replied, and he couldn’t help but smile. “It was probably just because it was the cheapest one. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Before Suga could come up with a retort, his mom reappeared down the hall. “Well, are you going to come in or just stand by the door all evening?”

“We’re coming,” Suga called back before she walked away again. He looked back at Daichi and held out his hand. “Well, let’s get this over with, shall we?”

Daichi hesitated. He hadn’t spoken to Suga in months, and for a moment that schism between them had been clearer than ever. However, all it took was the sound of Suga’s laugh and that look in his eyes and they immediately fell back into their old rhythm. Daichi was grateful that he and Suga could still interact like that, as if nothing had happened between them and with no hard feelings. It made him wonder why they’d cut off contact in the first place.

Finally, Daichi took Suga’s hand, and as they walked down the hall, he remembered. The familiar warmth radiating from Suga’s hand triggered the nostalgia he thought was reserved only for sleepless nights when he wanted nothing more than to pick up his phone and call him. He realized that it wasn’t a pinch but physical contact that finally made him realize he wasn’t dreaming this situation after all.

As the night progressed and the two of them pretending to be a couple interacted with the other guests, Daichi clung to the familiarity of holding hands with Suga as if he was lost at sea and it was his life preserver. They held hands for so long (letting go only to eat) that eventually, Suga’s hand felt like an extension of Daichi’s own body. He told himself they were only doing it to make the show more believable, but Suga’s grip on him was so tight that Daichi thought maybe it was only half of the reason why.

He had to admit that there were a few moments when he forgot that this was all pretend. There was so much history between them that the weight of months of separation fell away easily. At least, until he remembered that tomorrow, he wouldn’t wake up to a text from him like he used to. They wouldn’t go to Suga’s favorite café in the afternoon, and Suga wouldn’t come over to his house to play with his siblings in the evening. They would go back to not talking, and Daichi would return to university with the palm of his hand still stinging in the places where it had been in contact with Suga’s.

After they cleaned up dinner, Suga grabbed Daichi’s hand again, dragging him past all the other guests and into the backyard. As soon as they shut the door, he twirled around to look at Daichi, revealing two cans of beer in his other hand.

“Sugawara Koushi,” Daichi said to him, attempting to dust off the Authoritative Captain voice he hadn’t used since before graduation. “Don’t you still have a few months before you’re legally allowed to drink alcohol?”

Suga laughed. It was the same laugh that always played in Daichi’s head on repeat. He’d missed that laugh.

“What’re you gonna do? Arrest me?” Suga asked, sticking his tongue out teasingly. “You don’t have that kind of power just yet.”

“I guess I’ll have to check what the statute of limitations is for underage drinking, then,” he replied, taking the can that was handed to him nonetheless.

Suga gasped. “I can’t believe you’d actually arrest  _ me _ , your boyfriend.”

Daichi felt his smile fall before he could help it. “For tonight, at least.”

Suga paused before nodding. “Ah, yeah. Again, thanks for doing this, Dai.”

“Of course. You’re still my friend and I’d do anything for you.”

They sat next to each other in comfortable silence for a few moments, sipping their drinks and looking up at the few stars they could see. Daichi thought he could sit like that forever. They didn’t even have to talk. It was more than enough for them to just exist together in the same space, Daichi knowing that Suga was right there with him. Away from the crowd inside, in this moment, it felt as if they were the only two people on Earth.

“Do you remember when Tsukishima convinced Hinata that the club room was haunted?” Suga asked suddenly.

Daichi smiled. He remembered that fiasco well. “Oh, yeah. Hinata refused to step into the club room for at least a week, no matter what we said. He didn’t come back until we showed him a video of Nishinoya and Tanaka ‘exorcizing it.’”

Suga laughed again and Daichi could’ve sworn that their surroundings became ten times brighter because of it. “I think we did a pretty good job with them, all things considered.”

Daichi turned to look at him. “Yeah, we really did.”

Suga looked back at him, then looked down at Daichi’s hand resting next to him. He carefully placed his hand on top of Daichi’s and smiled.

“You know there’s no one to put on a show for out here, right?” Daichi asked quietly.

Daichi immediately regretted asking that. Although he knew they didn’t have to pretend when it was just the two of them, he didn’t want to go back to the awkwardness from earlier. However, even after what he’d said, Suga didn’t move his hand. He only looked down at his lap and sighed.

“Truthfully, I don’t think I want it to be just a show, Daichi. A lot has happened this year, and it’s been great, but our breakup was my biggest regret. I’ve missed you.”

Before he could stop himself, Daichi leaned in towards Suga, closing his eyes as he kissed him. Suga shifted, and for a moment Daichi worried that he might have made a huge mistake and Suga would pull away, leaving him humiliated. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Daichi’s neck and pulled him closer, prompting Daichi to kiss him deeper.

The last time they had kissed had been the day before they broke up, but it still felt exactly the same as it had then. It was as if they had fallen back into an old habit; it hardly took any effort to get used to it again. Just like with holding hands, kissing Suga felt so  _ right _ , so easy and uncomplicated, that there was absolutely nothing else he would have rather been doing at that moment. 

Finally, Daichi pulled away slightly and pressed his forehead against Suga’s. 

“Sorry. I’ve just really missed you too,” he said, the condensation from his breath filling the space between their lips. He hadn’t even noticed how chilly it had gotten. The warmth from the alcohol in his body combined with the heat radiating from Suga next to him had made him feel immune to the cold.

“Don’t apologize,” Suga replied softly. “I was basically two seconds away from kissing you myself.”

“It’s kind of cold out here. Are you sure you don’t want to go inside?” Daichi asked, almost shivering.

Suga looked back towards the door and shook his head.

“Okay, then can I kiss you again? To help keep myself warm.”

Suga smiled and nodded. “No ulterior motives, huh?”

“None at all,” he said, leaning in for another kiss.

Daichi didn’t know how long they sat like that, kissing and holding hands and laughing about memories from high school while sharing new stories from university. Finally, Daichi checked the time on his phone to see that there was only fifteen minutes left until midnight.

“Oh, shit!” Suga practically shouted, standing up suddenly. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Daichi could ask where he was going, Suga ran into the house and shut the door behind him. A minute later, he returned holding a gift wrapped box. 

“This is for you. Happy Birthday, Daichi.”

“Suga, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Daichi said, taking the box from him and beginning to unwrap it.

“Just open it. Plus, I owe you for spending your birthday here with me.”

Daichi stopped unwrapping the box for a moment and took Suga’s hand in his. “I told you, I’d do anything for you. There’s no one else I’d rather spend my evening with.”

“I guess maybe we could’ve done without my family but it wasn’t a bad evening after all, right?”

“Not at all,” Daichi said, laughing. “It was a pretty good birthday, too.”

Finally, Daichi finished unwrapping the present that Suga had brought him, revealing a shoebox. Confused, he looked up at Suga who stared back at him and gestured for him to open it. When he did, all he found was a small stack of CDs.  _ His _ CDs.

“Wait. I let you borrow these last year.”

“Yep,” Suga replied, nodding. “And I’m done with them now so you can have them back. Sorry I kept them for so long.”

“So your birthday gift to me… is my own CDs?”

Suga nodded again. “I figured it was time to give them back.”

Daichi couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything, so this is great. Thank you, Suga.”

Suga pouted mockingly. “I told you I’d give you something in return for doing this, but you weren’t expecting anything? Have I ever been the type of person to go back on a promise?”

“Oh? I seem to remember you also promising me a year’s worth of ramen.”

Suga bit his lip. “Yikes, did I say that? I don’t seem to recall.”

“Oh, I remember very well. And you don’t make empty promises, right?”

“How about this,” Suga began, sitting back down next to Daichi and leaning his head on his shoulder. “You stay here and watch the sunrise with me. Then, we go on a shrine visit together in the morning, and maybe afterwards I’ll treat you to ramen.”

“What about after that?” Daichi asked softly.

“Many more ramen dates, hopefully. I need to fulfill my promise somehow, right?”

Daichi smiled, resting his cheek on top of Suga’s head. “Yeah, you do.”

Suddenly, the two of them heard an influx of noise from inside the house. Daichi checked his phone again and discovered that it was finally midnight on New Year’s Day.

“Happy New Year, Dai,” Suga said, lifting his head up to look at him.

“Happy New Year, Suga,” Daichi replied, smiling and pulling Suga in for what felt like their millionth kiss that night. Daichi didn’t care, though, because he could kiss Suga a billion more times and never get tired of it. He thought this moment was perfect. It was everything he’d been missing all those months without Suga, and he felt relieved that, despite all of his earlier worries, they would still talk tomorrow. He could look forward to calling him and spending time with him again. The two of them would enter the new year together, side-by-side, and Daichi couldn’t have been happier.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading and thank you [shan](https://twitter.com/kayuicha) for letting me bounce ideas off of you and beta-reading for me!! please let me know your thoughts in the comments, or you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vethirugami) and [tumblr](https://tvxit.tumblr.com/)!!


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